Detectives have launched a murder investigation after the body of a young woman was found at a hostel in Southampton.

The three-storey building in Millbrook Road East is at the centre of a huge police operation after the discovery was made tonight.

The woman, believed to be in her late teens or early 20s, was found in the Society of St James hostel at 6.25pm.

A 30-year-old man from Southampton has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being quizzed by officers.

Shocked neighbours watched as more than 12 police vehicles arrived at the building. They soon set up a cordon around the entrance of the block of 40 flats.

Officers prevented people from entering the taped-off area while detectives talked to people inside.

Detective chief inspector Darren Rawlings from the Hampshire Major Investigations Team confirmed the death was being treated as suspicious.

He said officers will be conducting door-to-door inquiries over the weekend and neighbours will witness an increase in police activity in the next few days.

He said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who might have seen or heard anything suspicious in Millbrook Road East over the past couple of days.”